New world champion by Bold Eagle

The Bold Eagle four-year-old Jushua Tree hoisted a new world record and notched his first Group 1 success when he scored a magnificent harness racing win in the prestigious Criterium Continental at the Winter meeting at Vincennes, Paris recently.

Jushua Tree covered the 2100 metres from behind the mobile barrier in a 1’09’’8 kilometre rate (1:52.2 mile rate) – 0.9 inside the previous mark set by the Italian trotter Traders in 2016 beating Bold Eagle.

Jushua Tree became the first four-year-old to eclipse the 1’10” (1:53) barrier at Vincennes.

It was his 14^th success from 18 starts for the season and his mile rate of 1:52.2 was put up when he had nothing in his favour, being required to make several accelerations over the 2100m trip.

The win guaranteed Jushua Tree a bye into the Prix d’Amerique on January 28, but connections are likely to race the brilliant four-year-old in the Prix Bold Eagle the day before the Prix d’Amerique.

Jushua Tree’s win in the Criterium Continental duplicated the feat of his sire Bold Eagle, who won the Group 1 himself in 2015.

Bold Eagle, Europe’s first 1:50 trotter, will be represented by three yearlings from his first Australian crop at the Nutrien Equine Melbourne sale on Apri13 and 14.

There’s a colt (Lot 256) out of the dual Vicbred champion Kinvara Sue 1:58.2 ($163,890) and two fillies, one from Aspiring Eva NZ (Lot 189), the dam of this season’s outstanding juvenile Valtino and the other out of the Vicbred 3 and 4YO Finals winner Aldebaran Eve 1:58.3 ($158,508) as Lot 223.

Six Bold Eagle yearlings will be offered at the New Zealand sales in February:

Auckland sale

Lot 123 Bold Eagle x Con Grazia colt

Christchurch sale 

Lot 127 Bold Eagle x Daisy Hill colt

Lot 194 Bold Eagle x Juneamy Castleton colt

Lot 204 Bold Eagle x Kenny’s Dream colt

Lot 214 Bold Eagle x Ledecky filly

Lot 369 Bold Eagle x Big O E colt

The frozen semen of Bold Eagle is available to ‘down under’ breeders from Haras Des Trotteurs stud at Ballarat (VIC.).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink